The Richest People In The World Are Giving Away Money To Help

The richest people in the world are giving their money away to help others in need. Some are doing it quietly, while others commit to it publicly. Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Skoll, T. Boone Pickens, Ted Turner, Mark Zuckerberg, and many others have all been known to give back to the community and give free money to the people that need it the most. In this article, rather than sharing the information about the super-rich celebrities and how much they’ve given to charity, I would rather go over some of the ways they are helping others and why many of them are doing it.

Most Common Recipients of Free Money

You can look up how to get free money from Bill Gates, or how to get Mark Zuckerberg to send you cash, but for the most part, they are not going to do it. If you are in desperate financial trouble, in all honesty, you are better off looking for government financial help. For most of these rich and famous billionaires and millionaires, the funds are given to their own foundations. Of course, there are many other worthy causes out there and many of them benefit from the generosity of the mega-rich people in the world. These are just a few of the causes that are supported.

Charitable Foundations: Many of the richest people in the world give away their fortune and wealth by filtering it, so to speak, to their charitable foundations. Some with a cynical side will claim it’s for tax break purposes, but even if that were the case, which is debatable at best, it still wouldn’t negate the help it offers to the poor and needy that cannot provide for themselves properly.

Scholarships: Many celebrities and rich people give away money to help with educational costs through grants and scholarships. Some will only help out single mothers, some will only help out the elderly, while others give to anyone that applies and meets minimal qualifications. This type of help allows the recipient an opportunity to help themselves first.

Water: Many people don’t realize how scarce drinking water is in some areas. Many celebrities, including Angelina Jolie and Matt Damon have taken to this cause. In third world nations, this is a lifesaving effort and one that deserves to be commended.

Housing: Many of the famous and wealthy work on housing projects for low income families. These programs are responsible for reducing homelessness and helping to make homes a reality for the poor and needy of the nation and world. These are great programs that are making a difference in the lives of many individuals.

One Time Gifts: Sometimes done for publicity and sometimes done behind the scenes, on occasion, the rich and famous people of the world give away money as a one-time gift to groups or individuals. There are stories of W. Clement Stone paying off major medical bills for his employees and others and doing so without the need for thanks for publicity.

Sick and Endangered Children: Sometimes, even plain old millionaires, not just the richest people in the world, give to help out sick and endangered children. Charles Woodson, for example, gave over $2 million to Mott’s Hospital. Given this represented one third of his salary as an NFL player for the year, it was a very sizable donation.

Can Individual Get Free Money From Millionaires?

You probably cannot write to Oprah, T. Boone Pickens, George Lucas, or Alfred E Mann and expect them to help you out with a financial emergency, medical bills, loss of job, or give to give you cash because you are very poor. The odds of this happening are slim and quite honestly, not worth investigating.

While they might not help you out in particular, you might qualify for assistance in some of the programs they often provide to help others. Some do scholarships, some provide housing to low income people, and others seek to provide the necessities of life to those that cannot afford it otherwise.

Public Vows to Give Away Fortunes

Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and many of the richest people in the world have publicly vowed to give way half of their fortune or more to those that need it the most. The Giving Pledge is where the wealthiest people on the planet make this vow. Many view it as quite an honor and a statement of philanthropy, something often forgotten about as we view and think about the mega-rich people in the world.

Many wealthy people donate the bulk of their fortune to others without joining any such ‘club’ of people doing the same. Before the Giving Pledge, many of the wealthy gave away their wealth because it was the right thing to do, free of vows of commitments. Do not take this as a dig in any way, shape, or form, as the Giving Pledge is a great idea and is going to help out many of the poor and needy people of the world.

Publicity Stunts

Many people will point to Ellen DeGeneres or Oprah Winfrey as examples of wealthy celebrities giving away money on their shows. While both take part in significant philanthropy work, this type of giveaway is more of a publicity stunt for their shows and not a true example of philanthropic work.

Which Billionaire Gives the Most?

In all honesty, there is no way to tell. Many people give back and do not report it to the public, so we will never know. You can safely assume anyone on the Giving Pledge is going to give away at least half of their fortune. I don’t really think it is really about who gives away the most as it is making the world a little bit better place when all is said and done. In terms of raw dollars given away, it is safe to assume the 10 richest people in the world or so will likely end up in the group of top money givers.

Comments

Apr 3, 2013 10:55am

Knighttrader
Great article, this is really useful to know if you're planning on asking people for help. Knowing the types of causes millionaires help with is more likely to secure a donation. Great article and Thumbs up.

Add a new comment - No HTML
You must be logged in and verified to post a comment. Please log in or sign up to comment.